ANDERSON BILL SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

Bans county and city officials from letting relatives use cars or credit cards
 

August 17, 2010 (Sacramento) – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed Assembly bill 1399 into law. The measure, authored by Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon), prohibits local elected officials from allowing family members to use publicly owned vehicles or credit cards.

The measure was introduced in response to news reports about Anderson’s opponent, Jeff Stone, in the June primary for the 36th State Senate district. A Supervisor in Riverside County, Stone reportedly arranged use of a County car for his sister.
 

In an interview with East County Magazine published in May, Stone defended his actions. Stone said his sister was running up significant mileage after she was appointed by the D.A. and Sheriff as spokesperson of a SAFE team and a women’s committee. “It was less expensive for the County to buy her a clunker and save $4,000 a year on mileage. We asked the County Counsel and the FPPC, and they said it was okay,” he said. “There were no laws broken and no ethical violations.”